Directed by Christopher Guest. Starring Kevin Bacon, Emily Longstreth, J. T. Walsh, Teri Hatcher, Michael McKean, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Don Franklin, Martin Short, Dan Schneider, Kim Miyori, Tracy Brooks Swope, Gary Kroeger. (PG-13)
Uneven satire about wheeling and dealing in Hollywood, with Bacon as a film school grad trying to get a movie made on his terms, but he finds himself compromising his integrity and artistic vision in the process. Covers pretty familiar ground to anyone remotely aware of the ins-and-outs of movie-making; has a drowsy, slapdash quality to it, going for the easy, low-key punchlines (no matter how incisive) more often than the surprising ones. A few too many dry spells, too, and the weakly-integrated fantasy sequences misfire almost every time. Consistently exudes an aura of truth even amid exaggeration, suggesting that one or all of the writers have witnessed or experienced many similar incidents in their own lives. Most of the more distinctive and/or entertaining characters are relegated to the sidelines (Leigh as a flaky boho artist, Short as an eccentric agent, etc.); the characters we're supposed to like and root for, meanwhile--Bacon, Longstreth, McKean--are a bit on the bland side. Watchable, but considering the level of talent on both sides of the camera, has to rate as a disappointment. Directorial debut of co-scripter Guest (a rare non-"mockumentary" for him as either writer or director); he'd later do a better industry send-up with "For Your Consideration."
50/100
Uneven satire about wheeling and dealing in Hollywood, with Bacon as a film school grad trying to get a movie made on his terms, but he finds himself compromising his integrity and artistic vision in the process. Covers pretty familiar ground to anyone remotely aware of the ins-and-outs of movie-making; has a drowsy, slapdash quality to it, going for the easy, low-key punchlines (no matter how incisive) more often than the surprising ones. A few too many dry spells, too, and the weakly-integrated fantasy sequences misfire almost every time. Consistently exudes an aura of truth even amid exaggeration, suggesting that one or all of the writers have witnessed or experienced many similar incidents in their own lives. Most of the more distinctive and/or entertaining characters are relegated to the sidelines (Leigh as a flaky boho artist, Short as an eccentric agent, etc.); the characters we're supposed to like and root for, meanwhile--Bacon, Longstreth, McKean--are a bit on the bland side. Watchable, but considering the level of talent on both sides of the camera, has to rate as a disappointment. Directorial debut of co-scripter Guest (a rare non-"mockumentary" for him as either writer or director); he'd later do a better industry send-up with "For Your Consideration."
50/100